Gerdy Troost


Gerdy Troost, full name Gerhardine Troost née Andresen, was a German architect interior designer and interior decorator and the wife of Paul Ludwig Troost.

Life and work

Troost was born in Stuttgart, the daughter of an art dealer. After completing her education, she worked in her father's business, where she met Paul Ludwig Troost in 1923. In 1924, the pair moved to Munich and were married there in 1925. Through her husband, she became acquainted with Adolf Hitler in 1930 and became a member of the Nazi Party in 1932.
After her husband's death in 1934, Troost ran his architectural and design business together with his former partner, Leonhard Gall. She supervised the construction of the Haus der Kunst, the remodeling of the Königsplatz, and the construction of the Ehrentempels.
She remained an architectural and design adviser to Hitler's circle up to the end of the war. In 1943, she received from Hitler an endowment of 100,000 Reichsmarks. Troost was one of few people who actively disagreed with Hitler without fear of being fired or arrested. Hitler listened to Troost about art and architecture.
During denazification she was classified as "less responsible" by the Hauptspruchkammer and sentenced to a fine of 500 DM and a 10-year Berufsverbot. At the end of the period, Troost resumed work and resided in Schützing, a town on the Chiemsee in Upper Bavaria.
Gerdy Troost remained a friend and confidante of Winifred Wagner after 1945. She died in Bad Reichenhall at the age of 98 on 30 January 2003.

Citations

In popular culture